Money and fear are pretty related to each other — the fear of not having enough money to survive; fear of others misusing it; fear of losing it and even the fear of others knowing how much money one has. And the implications don’t just stop there. It spreads to all areas of our lives since money is required for practically everything we need, except for when we finally make the exit from this life! Even then, money is needed to resolve the body that is no longer of use, unless that body is donated for research! Dying can be a pretty expensive occasion nowadays, as they say!

Of the two, money and fear, fear is found within us, not separate from us, whereas money is outside of us. Fear is initiated by the views we have about money — topics on lack, insufficiency, poverty, luxury, possessions, responsibilities, aging, health, insurance, etc — in other words, the thoughts and views we have make fear real. But where do those thoughts come from? Probably from what we hear, see, feel, smell, and taste — in short, our five senses. It is through these doors that the world is being experienced, through our thoughts. We are responsible for them though they do not define us.

Have you ever wondered whether anything can come through our thoughts? How the mind looks at an external experience is a matter of perception. Seeing a homeless person can invoke fear in our mind, or compassion. Seeing another deprived of healthcare, can motivate us to help in ways we can’t imagine, or it can remind us of the fear of not having enough savings for a rainy day. Facing a person in need can play out our fear of lack, or generosity. All are coming through the mind, the very mind each of us is experiencing, and have to experience. Are our lives being governed by those thoughts or are we taking our own initiative to explore every thought as it pops up in our mind to see whether those fears are valid or not — true or unfounded? It is the thoughts that we are questioning, not the money. For they (thoughts) make our experiences real, not money.

You can have much and yet remain in fear. You can have little and yet be in contentment. Surely it has much to do with how our mind perceives, and not what we have, physically. By exploring the workings of your mind, you will be surprised at you how little you know about yourself. Welcome to the journey of awareness.